The Joy of Wining

16 December, 13

As I mentioned in a previous post, Juan wanted to take me to the area wineries in Jumilla. We finally got to go this past Saturday. What a trip!

I am starting to learn about Juan and his family. There is more to this tree than what you see above the ground. They have some pretty deep roots. We traveled about an hour to Jumilla, along some beautiful countryside that reminded me first of Arizona and New Mexico, then Northern California, as the amount of vegetation and crops started to increase. We passed acres and acres of fruit trees, terraced into the rocky landscape.

Our plan was to visit three wineries and buy some product for Christmas presents. Juan was only able to get us in on one visit, however, since we didn't call ahead. We ended up at Bodega San Isidro.

My first trip to Napa Valley was way back in 1992 on the Askins/Cloutier Graduation Road Trip. My college roommate, and I, drove 10,000 miles in 2 months and visited 22 states. It was my first big adventure. Of course, we didn't know boo about wine. In fact, neither of us drank. We were both teetotalers, but when you're in Napa Valley, you gotta imbibe a little...

Being total NOOB's we stopped at the biggest one, and the only one we knew. Ernest and Julio Gallo. That purveyor of fine wines since 1933. With offerings such as Carlo Rossi and Boone's Farm. Classy.

San Isidro was definitely better than ole E&J, but not by much. They are a cooperative, which means the local farmers all have a shared stake in the operation. I like that. It provides an economic incentive to do things well. They are a pretty big winery, but their focus tends toward the table wine end of the quality spectrum. I can't say that I blame them, as it makes them a lot of money. There are other wineries, however, that make some good stuff. I will be doing some in-depth research on these wineries soon.

The Jumilla region is famous for the Monastrell variety of grape. Older citizens complain that the new winemaking methods are producing "sissy-wine", because the alcohol content is only about 14%. With all the sunlight for this region, the sugar content in the grapes is much higher than in other regions. More sugar means more fermentation, which means more alcohol.

I learned some interesting things on the tour.

• They grow roses nearby, to act as the "canary in the cave." If the roses show aphids or other pests, then the grapes will soon be in danger. Evidently the pests prefer roses first, then grapes for dessert.
• Nothing goes to waste. The stems are mashed up and fed to goats. The leftovers after each process are squeezed out and then shipped off for other uses as well, such as dyes and cosmetics.
• Monastrell is a pie franco, which literally means "on its own feet". It has never been grafted with other grapes. All of Europe experienced a devastating Phylloxera louse infestation in the 1800's. The other varietals were subsequently grafted with American root stock, which was resistant to the louse. So all those French and Italian wine snobs are really just drinking jazzed up Boone's Farm, after all.
• Good wine comes in three grades here, determined by how long it is aged.
• Crianza is aged at least 2 years, including at least 6 months in oak barrels.
• Reserva is aged at least 3 years, including at least 1 year in oak.
• Gran Reserva is aged at least 5 years, including at least 18 months in the oak and 36 months in the bottle.
• Juan has a huge tolerance for alcohol. 

During our tour, we sampled four glasses of wine. After our tour, we had lunch with our new tour group buddies, which meant a couple of cervezas. Then, of course, you have to have an after dinner drink. Holy A.A., Batman! Let's just say my palette had become dull. Then we had a fiesta de navidad at our house.

It was a great trip, and I really want to go back and try some of the other, smaller, wineries. Let me know if you want some! Maybe I'll become an exporter...